Earlier this year we shared how vital it is to understand your various communications channels. Using your platform to effectively support your business will allow you to establish authority and credibility within your industry. Now we’re digging even further to explain the importance of posting content to your owned channels (i.e. your website, blog, and social media). Below, we’ve shared our top 4 reasons why you should start prioritizing your owned channels.

1. Post consistent content across all channels.

Whether you are sharing one blog post per month or five, or one Instagram post per week or ten, the key takeaway here is to do it consistently. Some of you may read this and think, “how many is too many?” We recommend sharing at least one blog post per month. This ensures that your blog is consistently updated with new content. Some might think, “what do I write about?” There are infinite things that one can blog about such as past projects, in-progress works, and favorite places to source inspiration. As for social media, we recommend posting a set three times per week to ensure that you are consistently building your profile and your following.

2. Distinguish yourself from your competitors.

There is lots of noise on the internet–everywhere from websites to brands to social media accounts– and it is important to speak directly to your audience. In order to distinguish yourself from other people in the design industry, we recommend that you share what is personal to you.

One way that we recommend looking at this is through your network. What is your network? Essentially, they are the designers, architects, builders, artisans, real estate agents, and photographers that you work with. Content marketing is an incredible tool to build relationships with the current people in your circle, and reach out to those in your aspirational circle. A few ways that you can do this is through quarterly newsletters, speaking opportunities, and of course, social media.

3. Thread your content marketing through all of your channels.

One common mistake that we see with content marketing is when someone shares content such as a blog post or newsletter event update, and that’s it! It is crucial to ensure that your content lives on and on and on. Thread your content through your website, blog, newsletter, social media, and speaking engagements. Weave it into your personal conversations until it becomes concrete. This is also a great way to create less work for yourself.

4. Give credit where credit is due.

There will be many opportunities for you to receive press. From project outreach to profile features to speaking engagements, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. It is important for you to thank the people involved, not because it is the kind thing to do, but because it allows you to reach a larger audience.

On social media, we recommend tagging all project collaborators in both the image and caption. Furthermore, we recommend tagging notable vendors. By doing so, you’ve expanded your network to each project collaborator and vendor’s audience. Online, like on your website or blog post, it is important to link to each project collaborator’s website. This creates a user-friendly experience for your viewers, and again, theirs.